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SELF LOCKING GAN TOP'. No. 569,088. A 'Patentedl0ct. 6,1896. y

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS H. COAKLEY, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- i FOURTH TO E. MADISON MITCHELL, OF SAME PLACE.

SELF-LOCKING CAN-TOP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 569,088, dated October 6, 1896. Application led November 29, 1895. Serial No. 570,368. (Nomoclel.)

T0 @ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS H. COAKLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Self- Locking Can-Tops; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in can-tops.

The object of my invention is to provide a can-top of such a nature as to be self-locking and yet permit of hermetic sealing, if desired. I form the top with an opening having asurrounding depending lange,and into this opening is designed to be forced by any suitable means a cap having a depending iiange the lower end of which extends outward upon a taper or curve, so as to be of a diameter greater than that of the depending iiange of the top of the can, so that when forced in the iiange of the cap will yield and allow of the iiange of the top to pass beyond the lower edge thereof, when it will spring outward and prevent the withdrawal of the cap. The cap is formed at its upper edge with an outwardlyextending flange resting upon a depressed annular portion surrounding the opening in the can-top, being, however, of less diameter than that of the depressed portion of the cap, so as to leave an annular groove into which the cement or some plastic or liquid or semiliquid mass may be placed to effect the sealing.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which, with the letters of referencemarked thereon, form a part of this specification, and in which- Figure l is a plan View of my can-top with the cap in place, and Fig. 2is a substantially central vertical section through the same.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts throughout both views.

Referring now to the details of the drawings by letters, A designates the top, which I stamp, spin, or otherwise form, preferably,

of a single piece of tin or other metal. Ithas an outer depending annular flange a to engage over the end of the can-body, and upon its upper face an inclined annular portion A', and at the center an opening surrounded by a depending flange a', the metal of the eantop around said opening being depressed, as seen at A2, and forming a substantiallyhorizontal shoulder a2, as seen best in Fig. 2.

B is the cap, having a depending flange b of an exterior diameter substantially the same as the interior diameter of the iiange a of the top, the lower edge, however, of said flange b being spun or otherwise turned outward, as seen at B', to be of a greater diameter than that of the flange a. The cap is formed further with an annular outwardly-extendin g flange Bthe upper face of which is rounded or inclined, as seen at b2.

In practice the cap is forced into position, its depending flange being entered in the central opening in the top and by sufficient force of pressure forced into the same until the lower edge B passes beyond the lower end of the flan ge A', the said flange yielding sufficiently to allow of the passage of the flange of the cap, and then the said flange springs out-- ward and beneath the inner edge of the flange A', as indicated in Fig. 2, so as to prevent displacement of the cap. The annular flange I1.2 of the cap rests upon the shoulder a2, surrounding the opening in the top, and the inclined or rounded portion b2 thereof forms, in connection with the inclined portion a2, surrounding said opening, a groove or recess C to receive theV cement or other material for sealing the can.

I may deem it advisable to change the shape of the parts and the relative size of the flanges, as well as that of the groove C.

The size of the opening may be varied at will.

Other modifications in detail may be resorted to vwithout departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

What I claim as new isl. The combination with the top having'a central opening with a continuous surrounding depending iiange and inclined portion, of the cap having a continu ous depending iiange,

IOO

the lower edge of which is normally turned outward, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination with the top having an outer depending flan ge and a central openin g with continuous inclined wall and depending flange, of the cap having a depending flange the lower end of which is normally turned outwardly around its entire circumference Io and at the upper edge formed with an outwardly-extending Hang-e, the upper face of which is inclined, substantially as shown and described.

ln testimony whereof I have signed this specication in the presence of two subscrib- 15 ing witnesses.

THOMAS H. COAKLEY. lVitne/sses:

Jos. H. SMITH, OTTO HEMPEL. 

